First impressions of the Basque Country (part 2)
First impressions, the sequel!
Architecture
Something that catched my eye during my first days in the Basque Country was the lack of houses in the cities. Everywhere you go you see apartment after apartment. It’s not an eye sour, but it ain’t a pretty sight either. Luckily most towns have an historic tale to tell. The town center of Bergara stores some beautiful ancient mansions, mostly 16th and 17th century. The old part of Mondragon (Arrasate), with his authentic arches, is impressive as well.
Bilbao (Bilbo) is a different story. The largest city of the Basque Country runs on a fresh, youthly enthusiasm with a lot of daring and experimental architecture. Sure Bilbao has a lot of history to, but the numerous modern sculptures and buildings reveal a thirst for renewal and progression. And of course the world famous Guggenheim is the icing on the cake. Entering Bilbao via the freeway you get a great look on the museum, which looked much bigger than I thought it would be. I can’t wait to check it out…
Going out
There are tons of bars and cafés in every city, town and village. They’re open pretty late, cause the people eat their dinners around 9, 10 ‘o clock. Although there’s a vast choice of tasty wines, the beer collection is rather poor. Most bars serve Dutch beers like Heiniken or Amstel, but there are very few weighty beers. I guess us Belgians are spoiled when it comes to lager (I miss my Duvel!).
Yet the real attraction is the spontaneous atmosphere, both in- and outside the bars. Loud music, everyone’s having fun, young and old gather around… Also the language barrier seems to fade as the alcohol flows. Gestures and sign language surprisingly suffice for hour long conversations…
Hello Megan,
Thank you for writing into our Blog – we are delighted you enjoy it and hope you can continue to get something out of it.
If you ever feel like writing in about your first (and even later) impressions of the Basque Country, we would love to hear from you.
I moved here for the same reason as you, so it will be interesting for me – as well as our readers – to know what you think.
All the best,
Olwen
I am so excited to find your blogs! I am moving to the Basque country in a few months with my boyfriend who is from there. Your blogs are a great positive insight into whats to come. I also don’t speak a lot of spanish or basque but am hoping to improve when I get there! Thanks.